Just got a monthly bar gig with a singer

**pubylakeg** · 09-04-2014, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

I love that tune! (I love that whole record, Kamikiriad.)

Yeah Mark,
Some friends of mine are in the habit of singing that line at certain moments, usually to signify........
However in this instance, I just offered it as a continued " Happy Birthday to Rob", long may the G.A.S. continue.

**0zoro** · 09-04-2014, 02:27 PM

Let me congratulate! Sound like you have gotten all the suggestions you need, from what I´ve heard of your playing here it will go nicely. It would be interesting to me to get a song list when you two finally decide on one.

**Rob MacKillop** · 09-04-2014, 02:36 PM

Will do!

**jazzuki** · 09-04-2014, 03:28 PM

Rob. With all your experience of other genre's you'll do just fine and fit the "comping" and solo seamlessly once you know the singers mood.

The Ron Eschete's book is a little gem -you probably have it by now?
Btw. Ron and his trio are performing tonight with guest guitarist Mundell Lowe still playing at 92 yrs young.

**Rob MacKillop** · 09-04-2014, 03:34 PM

Thanks. The book is in the post.

Great to hear Mundell is still active. Incredible.

**ah.clem** · 09-04-2014, 08:38 PM

Great that you got that gig; it's one of my favorite combos. I just heard a new 7-string player with a vocalist I listen to a lot locally and I can tell you what I didn't like in his performance - when it was time for him to solo, rather than playing a chord solo, or at least a contrapuntal thing, or a few notes, drop in a chord, a few more notes, another chord, he played single line, boppish things - for a long time - as if he had a rhythm section behind him - but he didn't. He was outlining the changes (at least for me, no idea about the audience) but man, it really sounded like a vacuum (and genre switch) when he played the single line stuff. He obviously plays 27 leagues ahead of me, but you asked for advice. Perhaps some folks like to hear a fast, single line solo with no accompaniment, but I didn't care for that empty sound. Just my opinion. I hope you have the best time with it, nothing beats playing music!

**Rob MacKillop** · 09-05-2014, 02:50 AM

Good points!

**edh** · 09-05-2014, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by pubylakeg

Hi edh, just checked that on amazon.com, they're both the same book as far as I can see, it's just that the cheaper one is being supplied and sold by amazon and the other one is being offered by a vendor thru amazons market place thing.
As the advert says "Why pay more ?".

Thanks pubylakeg.

**Greentone** · 09-06-2014, 09:31 AM

Rob,

Good news! I used to accompany an actress/singer who was very good at the Astrud Gilberto thing. I really enjoyed accompaniment work. Still do. Giving a singer a big cushion to sit on is an art. Taking, at most, a four-bar solo is also an art.

Another gig I used to enjoy was accompanying the guy I got my ES-175 from. He is now 93. He goes back to a time when the big bands were the thing. He used to play Epiphone rhythm guitar in one of the well-known East Coast bands. As a singer, he was (he doesn't sing out these days, as you can imagine) exceptional at the "Bing" thing. I used to be his Eddy Lang--to the best of my abilities.

As you know, one of the joys of singer accompaniment is getting to use chord forms on strings 4,5, and 6. When you play in a trio or quartet you pretty much stick to 1,2, and 3 in order to stay away from the pianist and bassist.

Enjoy the gig...and the Great American Songbook. I doubt you guys will get much call for CeeLo's "F#$k You."

**Rob MacKillop** · 09-06-2014, 10:00 AM

Cheers, Greentone. You've whetted my appetite for it

Nice, also, to hear of some of your background.

**OPherman47** · 09-06-2014, 10:05 AM

Chord tone only solos with interesting rhythms get my students through in a pinch... Add a drop 2 in Here or there and a walking bass line on its own... And your good to go

**rkwestcoast** · 09-06-2014, 10:43 AM

Rob - I've had the same experience working with singers - going from comping to single note lines the energy and feel can really drop - particularly on more up-tempo numbers.

One of the things I do to counter that and incorporate some single line playing is to take a couple of extended intros - it adds some nice variety to starting songs (rather then playing the bridge / last 4 bars / a vamp into the song etc.) and in terms of dynamics allows a piece to build rather then start up / drop down / and then try to build it back up

All the best with the gigs enjoy!

**Rob MacKillop** · 09-06-2014, 11:02 AM

Thanks for the tips, guys. Appreciated.

**AlsoRan** · 09-06-2014, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by rkwestcoast

Rob - I've had the same experience working with singers - going from comping to single note lines the energy and feel can really drop - particularly on more up-tempo numbers.

Kind of reminds me of many of the 80s groups with only one guitarist, and who recorded songs with all these guitar layers. Sounded great on the album but in concert all you heard was the bass and drums without any rhythm guitar.

Serious energy level drop as the lead guitar just played single note lines.